How do I find a nanny share or nanny that I can trust and we can afford?
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Anonymous
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Right now I am looking at our daycare bills for our two kids (one in school already, so after school care) of $1850/mo - I don't work a very high paying job, so it's at the point where I am working to keep my skills fresh as opposed to it making financial sense for us, we just clear a few hundred each month over additional costs vs. SAHM
So (I'm looking for opinions here) do you think it would make more sense for us to get a nanny and have someone that would really spend time with our children as individuals and save us some of the afternoon stress during pickups? How would the monthly cost compare? How do you know you can trust your nanny? I have just never considered this and don't even know where to begin. Thank you!! |
Anonymous
| In all honesty a nanny generally costs more than daycare. How do you find a nanny you trust? You interview them, call their references, go with your gut feeling do a couple trial days while you are in and out of the house |
Anonymous
| a nanny is not always more than full time day care for two kids, however, in your situation I think a nanny would be more expensive since one is in aftercare. |
Anonymous
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How many hours per week would you need the nanny? How many hours per week would she have 1 vs 2 kids?
Nannies can be cheaper, equivalent to, or more expensive than daycare, it just depwnds. You will need to pay employer taxes for your nanny as well as offer vacation/PTO which all needs to be added to the base hourly cost. Some parents hire a household manager or nanny/housekeeper to get errands, cleaning, and cooking done as well but that costs a little (or a lot) more than a childcare-only nanny. For a nanny you can trust you should ask friends or neighbors for recommendations, conduct a lot of interview (do two interviews with nannies you're seriously considering), do a trial day or week where you or DP can be home some of the time, trust your instincts, ask her references as many questions as you can, swing by the house unannounced now and again (especially early on) to see what they're up to, talk to your nanny and get to know a little about her, compensate her fairly and treat her respectfully. Look for nannies with good track records and those who've worked in other fields (they tend to have a stronger work ethic). You could also consider a FT nanny share with another family who has one child around the same age as your youngest which would be around $10/hr per family. A nanny just for your family is anywhere from $15-20/hr depending on a lot of factors. |
nannydebsays
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If you are looking to save money by hiring a nanny, I am not sure that will work for you. Nannies are legally entitled to earn at least minimum wage, and most decent nannies earn more. Let's crunch some numbers: Presumably you need care 40 hours a week minimum, FT for 1 child, PT for the other except in summer. You currently spend $1850/month on care. Take 10% off the top for employment taxes that you will pay leaves you with $1665 per month. Dividing $1665 by 4.3 (# of weeks in a month) and then again by 40 (assumed minimum hours of work per week), you wind up being able to afford an hourly rate of $9.68. (Weekly GROSS pay of $387.21.) Of course, if you need more than 40 hours/week of care, that will dramatically lower the hourly rate you can afford, since nannies are paid OT after 40 hours: 45 hours/week = $8.15/hour 50 hours/week = $7.04/hour 55 hours/week = $6.19/hour So, if you want a nanny, I think a nanny share might be the way to go, although it really won't save you much money. Plus you'll have to find a nanny who can fit 3+ kids in the back seat of her car, and who is capable of managing care for 3+ kids as well. Nanny share rates are hotly debated here, but if you have 2 kids, you'll pay slightly more than the parents with one kid. If you do need care for 45 hours/week, then you'll be paying $8/hour with OT, and the other family might expect to pay $6. So you'd be seeking a nanny willing to work a 3 kid share for $14/hour. I don't know if you'll find a nanny with much experience willing to take that rate, but if you're willing to accept a "starter nanny", you might luck out. IDK, OP. You might be at the point where it no longer makes financial sense for you to work. Good luck with your decision! |
Anonymous
No. Just no. |
Anonymous
| OP, think about taking some time off? And safe lots of money. |
Anonymous
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disagree with PPs that a nannyshare is unworkable. Since you have about $400 a week to put towards your portion of it, you may be able to find a family willing to split a nanny's salary 60/40 with you. This would be because your oldest would be there only part of the time. In exchange the other family would be getting the benefit of cost savings.
I think it's worth giving it a try to find an interested share family - stressing that your oldest is only home at X so for most of day it would just be your youngest. Also possible you may stumble into someone who is slightly outgrowing their nanny but wanting to find a way to keep them (preschool part-time) so would welcome chance to convert to a share. I would look into it. |
Anonymous
| As for how (PP at 19:38 here) look on this forum - that is where I found all 4 of our share families over the years. |
Anonymous
If OP were to contribute $400 including employer taxes with a 60/40 split, you're still looking at a rate of $14-$15/hour for a 3 kid share. No nanny with the experience necessary to navigate balancing the needs of 2 families and 3 children is going to do it for that rate. You surely can try OP but I don't think what you'd be forced to offer is fair for any nanny at that work load, but you may find a sucker. Be advised, however, it won't take long for her to realize you are paying well below market. She could EASILY work your share for a few weeks, gain the resume experience and grab a better or equal paying job with 1-2 kids ($15-$18/hour)or a significantly higher paying 3 kid share (we're talking $18-$22/hour) |